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Thursday 26th November After a busy couple of weeks travelling through Argentina and a couple of really long bus journeys on really uncomfortable buses we decided that we needed a bit of R 'n' R. Which brings us to where we are now. Having booked a hotel in the centre of Iquique, a nice little seaside town in Chile, not too far from the beach, but that also has a swimming pool. Unfortunately, our room is a little dingy and smells of smoke, knowing that the hotel is hardly full we tried to change rooms but the management insists that the hotel is fully booked! The pool is being "renovated" (it look's as though it has been undergoing renovation for the past couple of years) and to top it off, for the past two nights, there has been a tone deaf man in the plaza next to our hotel, twiddling with a guitar, with his amplifiers (multiple!) aimed at our room, screaching some awful renditions of what we are guessing are supposed to be traditional Chilean songs. It has hardly been a relaxing few days!!! We are catching another bus tomorrow to Arica, our last stop in Chile before we head into Peru. Hopefully we'll get a couple of good nights rest there! The pictures in this update are from our time in Argentina. From the vineyards of Mendoza to the Sierras of Cordoba, we have seen some beautiful places and met some very friendly and welcoming people. We really enjoyed our time in Argentina and were sad to leave. We hope you enjoy this little selection of images. |
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Argentina!
Who needs a broom when there's palm leaves!
Beautiful light on a beautiful building.
A leafy plaza in Mendoza.
It's rude to point, don't you know!
Yes this sandwich was as big as Becca's arm! And yes Simon did eat most of it!!
Rustic cars in Mendoza.
Another beautiful plaza in Mendoza.
The transport looks a little dated.
Knowledge is power! Here we have a tank made of books.
Fancy gates... made in England!!
The park in Mendoza where everyone goes on a weekend...
To read or admire the artworks...
Or just admire the stunning scenery.
Lakeside view.
The mountains as a backdrop at one vineyard in Mendoza.
Fueling the barrels!
Old and new.
We were facinated by this lab at one vineyard but wanted to know what the pink liquid was. We never did find out.
Fill 'em up!
The vines had hail protectors on them, as the hail can be as big as golf balls.
Our second vineyard was at an organic winery... where the grapes have feelings too, man.
And where EVERYTHING is still done by hand.
Hick... and now the third winery, a boutique winery!
Where they only make 8000 bottles of wine a year.
The more tasters we had, the better they tasted!!
Would they notice if these two went missing?
The meal on the wine tour was phenominal... this was just our starter!!
At last, after almost a year of travelling we finally got to see real grapes... well, almost!
Pretty church in Cordoba.
A real contrast in architecture...
And modes of transport.
A Jesuit estancia in Alta Gracia.
Admiring the view!
One of Che Guevara's old house's, in Alta Gracia.
Young Che...
Old Che...
Che monument!
Estancia Corralito, the Estancia we stayed at, near La Paz.
Becca getting to know the horses.
Gaucho style!
Bath time...
Then time for a roll in the dirt! ...that pesky dog needs to be careful!
Dog and horse do not get on!!
But 'Poocho' is so cute!
Riding... err... stuff!
Enjoying a cool beer on the patio at the estancia, as the sun sets. (The bottles of beer in Argentina are the same size as a bottle of wine!)
Just for Simon's Mum!
Friends of the Estancia, we met this family on one of our rides, they were very friendly and welcoming.
And their children were very photogenic.
My cow!
One big family.
Lola and horse. Thank you for such a wonderful time!
Julio, a gentleman and a brilliant host.
Carolina. What an amazing cook! We are really missing her good food!!
Hello!
The pretty pink church in Salta.
Lovers in the park.
The view over Salta.
Just spectacular.
Becca was a little unsure of the ride up the hill in Salta...
As the cablecar was a little bumby!
Flowers in Salta.
Inside a waterfall.
We really wanted to jump in as it was so hot, but the water was a strange yellow colour.
Peace!
Cross on the hill.
It wouldn't be right to put another update from South America on the website without any cacti's... so here is the obligatory cactus shot! |
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We hope you enjoyed these images. There will be more pictures from the top end of Chile coming soon. |
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